A Fish Tank

The Only Thing you REALLY Need to Keep Fish

(The First Tank Guide)

A fish tank is the only thing you really need to keep fish,
however, I say this reservedly. If you do not include filtration, you greatly increase the amount
of work you will need to do to keep your aquarium clean and healthy. If your tank is
small - say, smaller than about 10 gallons - you will greatly
increase the size and frequency of water
changes, and you will also increase the risk that some stray
fumes, dust, or other toxins floating in the air in your home or
office become a problem in the tank. Smaller
tanks and bowls are also harder to cycle
and less stable once they are cycled. Additionally, a smaller tank
will be able to house fewer fish, and
will be less forgiving of over stocking
or over feeding. Generally speaking, the larger the tank (within
reason), the easier it will be to care for, and the fewer headaches it
will create in the long run.

In reality, the tank is anything that you want to set up to
house your fish. Whatever you select for a tank, it must be:

This Blue-Streaked Devil is a marine fish, from my only salt tank.
I thought he was attractive enough to show here (taking decent
pictures of fish is difficult...)

Water Tight

If the tank is not water tight, you will have a very
difficult time housing your aquatic pets, due to rapid degradation of
their environment. Water leaking out of
the tank will give the fish less room, less dissolved oxygen and
greater concentrations of waste.
Additionally, the leaking water can cause problems outside the
tank. The water can damage flooring, furniture, personal belongings,
building structure, and the stand
that the tank is on.

Non-Toxic

If the material your tank is made of is toxic, many of
your fish will die either from chewing in the enclosure or from the
small amounts of toxins that will be released in the water. Of
course, the chances of toxins being released into the water are
greatly reduced by assuring that the material holds up to the next
requirement, being non-water soluble.

Non-Water-Soluble

If the tank is water soluble, it will soon cease to hold
up to the first requirement, being water tight...

Sturdy

If the tank is not sturdy, then you are liable to have
problems with it holding up to the first requirement, being water
tight, and quite possible the third, being non-water soluble. Having
a sturdy tank will also help in preventing future breaks which could
result in damage to other property in addition to the obvious harm to
the fish.

You will probably also want to take into consideration the
aesthetics of the container in question. The five gallon buckets that restaurants
receive pickles and such in will work as a 'tank,' as long as you
don't have a heater that can rest against
it. However, these buckets don't look very good in a living room on
display. They also make it difficult to view your fish and plants.

"Thank you so much! Very helpful! Of course, there's more info here than we need, but it more than adequately answers my question and will certainly help both now as we set things up and in the future as we "grow" from here potentially."